Understanding the Syrian Refugee Crisis

A Resource Packet for Educators COMPILED BY:

Charlotte Guard, Bridget Chan, & Amy Lutterloh

WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL February 11, 2015

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Understanding the Syrian Refugee Crisis February 11, 2015 World Affairs Council resource packet

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UNDERSTANDING THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introducing the Speakers 2

The Syrian Refugee Crisis 3

Life in a Refugee Camp 4

Humanitarian Response 6

Refugees in Turkey 7

Refugees in Jordan 8

Refugees in Lebanon 9

Refugees in Iraq 10

Refugee Resettlement 11

Syria’s Generation Out of School 14

Education 14

Child Marriage 15

Child Labor 16

Child Soldier Recruitment 17

Organizations 18

Lesson Plans 20

TeachUNICEF Global Citizenship Brief: Syria 21

Unit: Conflict, Human Rights, and Refugee

Populations

24

USING THIS RESOURCE GUIDE

NOTE: Many of these descriptions were

excerpted directly from the source website.

Recommended

The Day After: Common

Core Connection

Visual Media

Lesson Plans/Education

Resources

Breaking Stereotypes

Charts and Graphs

Cover photo: http://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1424346.1377294445!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_960/image.jpg

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INTRODUCING THE SPEAKERS

Rita Zawaideh is a humanitarian and founder of the Salaam Cultural Museum. She was the winner of the 2013 Globalist of the Year Award and is the owner of Caravan-Serai Tours, a wholesale land tour company which designs tours for individuals and groups.. She travels frequently to the Middle Eastern region, and has just returned from leading a humanitarian mission in Lebanon. She has been working with a team of U.S. doctors and local volunteers distributing medical supplies and care along the Syria-Jordan border. She also founded the Arab American Community Coalition to help foster understanding between Arab Americans and the rest of the American society.

Kathie Friedman Kasaba, PhD, is an associate professor at the Jackson School of International Studies and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Sociology and the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. She is a faculty member in the interdisciplinary PhD program in Near and Middle Eastern studies. Friedman is the former chair of the Jewish studies program and previously directed the master's program in international studies and the undergraduate honors thesis programs at the Jackson School. Her main area of study and research is comparative forced migrations and immigration, particularly to the United States and the European Union, with a focus on ethnic and political incorporation. Friedman's publications include Memories of Migration: Gender, Ethnicity, and Work in the Lives of Jewish and Italian Women, New York 1870–1924; Creating and Transforming Households: The Constraints of the World Economy (coauthored); and a chapter titled "On Halloween We Dressed Up Like KGB Agents" in Sociology Confronts the Holocaust: Memories and Identities in Jewish Diasporas.

http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2013/06/12/it-s-about-time-united-nations-plans

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THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS

Global Conflict Tracker: Civil War in Syria http://www.cfr.org/global/global-conflict-tracker/p32137#!/?marker=6 This resource page compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations is part of an interactive database of global conflicts. This page on the Syrian civil war has expandable sections on background information, breaking news, primary sources, and CFR analysis. The page is updated every day.

Syria’s Refugee Crisis—in U.S. Numbers (01/07/2015) http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/07/syrias-refugee-crisis-in-u-s-numbers/ Lebanon announced this week that it could no longer absorb the unrestricted flow of refugees fleeing the conflict in neighboring Syria. It will now require refugees to get visas first. Lebanon has already taken in more than 1.1 million Syrians—a number equal to one-quarter of its own population. For the United States, that would be the equivalent of taking in more than 80 million refugees. And Lebanon is smaller than Connecticut.

2015 Could be Watershed for Syria Conflict (12/22/2014) http://www.voanews.com/content/twenty-fifteen-could-be-a-watershed-for-syrian-conflict/2566480.html In four years, the Obama administration has sought an effective strategy on Syria, to no avail. But in November elections, Republicans gained control of the Senate, and some analysts suggest that in next year’s session, Congress could push for the U.S. to take a more aggressive stance against Islamist militants and the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Civil War, From Space (12/04/2014) http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/12/the-syrian-civil-war-from-space/383257/ The view of Syria from space, they argued, provides "one of the few sources of objective information" on the crisis. Assessing composite satellite images, they concluded that nighttime light declined by around 74 percent across Syria between March 2011 and February 2014.

Quick facts: What you need to know about the Syria crisis (08/29/2014) https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis Syria’s civil war is the worst humanitarian disaster of our time. The number of innocent civilians suffering — more than nine million people are displaced, thus far — and the increasingly dire impact on neighboring countries can seem to be overwhelming to understand. So take a few minutes to understand the magnitude of this crisis. Scroll through the three infographics above to see the staggering statistics. Then read below to learn the facts behind the figures — and find out how you can help.

Syria: The story of the conflict (08/12/2014) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868 Almost 200,000 Syrians have lost their lives in the escalating conflict between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule. Syria's bloody internal conflict has destroyed entire neighborhoods and forced more than nine million people from their homes. This is the story of the civil war so far, in eight short chapters.

Timeline: Unrest in Syria (01/20/2014) http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/world/timeline-unrest-in-syria/207/ Two years after the first anti-government protests, conflict in Syria rages on. See the major events in the country's tumultuous uprising.

BY THE NUMBERS

More than 3.2 million registered Syrian refugees are living in neighboring countries.

6.5 million children have been affected by the crisis–more than half of Syrian children are no longer attending school.

Some 10.8 million people inside Syria are in need of humanitarian aid.

(Source: UNHCR, OCHA) http://www.irusa.org/emergencies/syrian-humanitarian-relief/

Syria Regional Refugee Response: Inter-Agency Information Sharing Portal http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php This web portal is managed by the UNHCR and offers various statistics regarding Syrian refugees. On this portal you can find a map with locations of major refugee camps, statistics regarding care and relocation, and other relevant documents.

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LIFE IN A REFUGEE CAMP

Thousands of Syrian Refugees are Desperate to Escape the Camps That Gave Them Shelter (10/08/2014) http://www.newsweek.com/2014/10/17/jordan-thousands-syrian-refugees-are-now-desperate-escape-camps-gave-them-shelter-276043.html Since the start of the Syrian conflict in the early spring of 2011, some 608,000 Syrians have crossed the border, seeking asylum and refuge in Jordan. A recent economic study by the World Food Program stated that the sheer number of Syrians coming in had “triggered major demographic shifts; tested infrastructure, and pressured social services”.

Jordan study finds tough living conditions among Syrian urban and other non-camp refugees (04/18/2014) http://www.unhcr.org/532821556.html A joint UNHCR and International Relief and Development survey has found increasingly difficult conditions among the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan living outside camps. Fifty per cent of refugee dwellings are inadequate and hundreds of thousands struggle to pay their rent, according to the findings.

Millions of Refugees from Syria’s War Are Clinging to Life In Toxic Conditions (04/14/2014) http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/14/millions-of-refugees-from-syria-s-war-are-clinging-to-life-in-toxic-conditions.html Ever since the uprisings against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad exploded into civil war in 2011, the UN estimates that over 9 million people have been displaced from their homes. Yet for the vast majority—including the 6.5 million still inside Syria—the relative stability of a Turkish camp remains an illusion, far removed from the harsh reality of their current lives.

Despite new police presence, security concerns persist at Syrian refugee camp (04/03/2014) http://www.irinnews.org/report/97778/despite-new-police-presence-security-concerns-persist-at-syrian-refugee-camp The Jordanian government is implementing new measures to improve security for the Syrian refugees at Za’atari camp, but aid workers say the efforts are limited by funding constraints and have yet to make a difference.

Za’atari Refugee Camp Summarized in 7 Key Questions (01/28/2014) http://livingonone.org/zaatari-refugee-camp-7-questions-afraid-ask/ If you have been following our Salam Neighbor journey, you’ve heard us speak at length about our neighbors in the Za’atari refugee camp. We figured that you might have some questions about the camp and we want to give you a little background about our current home.

Freezing conditions, forgotten camps — refugees from Syria in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley (12/20/2013) http://livewire.amnesty.org/2013/12/20/freezing-conditions-forgotten-camps-refugees-from-syria-in-lebanons-bekaa-valley/ The ‘forgotten camp’ in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley hosts around 20 families in flimsy canvas tents, some of which have collapsed due to the strong, icy winds. When we recently visited the area, children were running around barefoot or in sandals, while others huddled indoors, hoping to stay warm. However in some tents, water seeped through the floor and families complained that they didn’t have enough fuel.

Report exposes Syria Refugee camp conditions (08/05/2013) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/08/20138520329121269.html Many Syrians who have escaped their country are now desperate to escape from UN-run refugee camps, where women are not safe and teenage boys are recruited as soldiers to fight in the conflict, according to a UN report.

Life inside Syrian refugee camps http://theweek.com/captured/449516/life-inside-syrian-refugee-camps For those who managed to escape — women and children, mainly, with whatever they could carry — some semblance of life continues in refugee camps throughout the region. Through grit, luck, or the help of others — and often a combination of all three — those displaced millions have sought to create moments of normalcy in the temporary rooms, mud-floored tents, and makeshift shelters they call home, waiting for the day their country stitches itself back together.

Syrian Refugee Choices Lesson Plan http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Teaching-resources/Quick-activities/Refugee-choices

It's hard to imagine two million refugees. So don't try. Instead focus on something the human mind has a chance of grasping – a family, their things, their choices. The trigger is a photograph of a Syrian family in northern Iraq. It looks like a refugee camp. In fact, they're surviving on the outskirts, the camp itself is too full. Discuss daily life and explore

options, developing insight and understanding.

Salaam Neighbor (35:01) Produced by Living on One

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGowKlYiMQY

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LIFE IN A REFUGEE CAMP

Syrian Refugees Face More Misery in Lebanon Winter (01/19/2015) http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-refugees-face-more-misery-in-lebanon-winter/2604170.html Recent weeks have seen the refugees, of whom an estimated 83% are women and children, blighted by the worst of Lebanon’s winter. At least three in a camp near Zahle are thought to have died amid plunging temperatures and heavy storms, while the efforts of aid agencies to help them have been set back by the conditions.

Amid Strains, Syrian refugees Are Facing Curfews in Lebanon (12/16/2014) http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/12/16/370329263/amid-strains-syrian-refugees-are-facing-curfews-in-lebanon In Lebanon — a fragile little country of just 4 million people — there are about 1 million refugees from Syria. Many have been here three years, and their welcome is starting to wear thin. Some towns and villages have imposed a curfew on refugees – enforced by local groups of volunteers. But in a country that experienced a brutal civil war, some are concerned about the return of armed civilian groups.

Amnesty report reveals desperate plight of Syrian refugees in Turkey (11/20/2014) http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/20/amnesty-report-desperate-plight-syrian-refugees-turkey More than 1 million Syrian refugees who have flocked to Turkey to escape fighting at home are struggling to survive on their own, with government-run refugee camps operating at full capacity, according to a report by Amnesty International. Turkey does not grant Syrians official refugee status, labelling them as “guests” who enjoy temporary protection, but in many Turkish cities with a large Syrian population, local people increasing feel that refugees have outstayed their welcome.

Inside the Syrian refugee camps, a silent epidemic (01/15/2014) http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/iraq/140114/inside-the-syrian-refugee-camps-silent-epidemic Domiz Refugee Camp, Iraq: there’s more than one way to be scarred by war. And when it comes to mental health, many Syrians are finding the refugee camps nearly as damaging as the war-torn homeland they left behind.

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Displacement of Syrian Refugees in Neighboring Countries as of Sept. 15, 2012

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HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

USAID Syria Fact Sheet http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/syria_ce_fs03_12-12-2014.pdf Total U.S. humanitarian assistance since the start of the conflict in March 2011 is now more than $3 billion. The United States remains the single-largest donor of humanitarian aid for those affected by Syria crisis, which has become the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era.

Syrian Humanitarian Relief—Islamic Relief USA http://www.irusa.org/emergencies/syrian-humanitarian-relief/ Nearly 1.7 million Syrians in need, both inside Syria and in neighboring Jordan and Lebanon, have been helped by Islamic Relief USA’s generous community. And, through the collaborative efforts of Islamic Relief offices around the world, millions of Syrians affected by the conflict have received aid.

The Challenge of the Syrian Refugee Response (01/09/2015) http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/09/syrian-refugee-crisis-challenges-international-aid-organizations As international aid organizations are struggling to use their precious dollars effectively on a multitude of crises, they name the humanitarian situation in Syria the worst in the world. Millions were forced to flee their homes following the outbreak of civil war in 2011, and the number of displaced people continues to grow with no end to the conflict in sight.

Europe’s fear of Syria’s ghost boats (01/04/2015) http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/01/europe-fear-syria-ghost-boats-20151443810338138.html With a conflict that has killed some 200,000 people burning brightly on its doorstep Europe's prime focus to date has been on ensuring that it stays away from the flames. The emergence of "ghost ships", the latest gruesome tactic to come out of a conflict that has also put the "barrel bomb" into the popular lexicon, may force a much needed revaluation on the strategy of Europe's response.

WFP Launches Plan to Assist Syrians Affected by Conflict in 2015 (12/18/2014) https://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/wfp-launches-plan-assist-syrians-affected-conflict-2015 In 2015, WFP will keep focusing on life-saving food assistance inside Syria by providing monthly food rations for 4.25 million people, mainly displaced families. During the year, WFP plans to move some families from general food distribution to Food-for-Work projects to build their resilience and help bring their lives back to normalcy.

UN resumes food aid for Syrian refugees (12/10/2014) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/12/un-food-aid-syrian-refugees-201412923036586603.html The UN World Food Program will restart its food aid for 1.7 million refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt after it received enough donations to fund the suspended program.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon stranded by U.N. food aid cut (12/08/2014) http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/08/us-mideast-crisis-refugees-idUSKBN0JM1QL20141208 Syrian refugees who had their food aid cut when a U.N. agency ran out of money last week say that without it they will be unable to feed themselves, educate their children, or warm their tents in the freezing winter.

Syrian refugees need more than food (03/09/2014) http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/3/education-for-syrianrefugeesinsufficient.html Of the current refugees, more than 1.3 million are under the age of 18. Syria’s children, both refugees and those internally displaced, desperately need access not just to basic necessities but to education as well. Many of the Syrian children have been out of school for almost three years now. And, according to the United Nations refugee agency, two-thirds of school-age Syrian refugees are not getting any education.

Five things that will help Syrian refugees (09/26/2013) http://livewire.amnesty.org/2013/09/26/five-things-that-will-help-syrian-refugees/ Words of support from world leaders won’t help Syrian refugees. Here are five things that will.

http://www.irinnews.org/photo/Download.aspx?Source=Report&Year=2012&ImageID=201209171247090892&Width=490

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EU boosts aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey (12/14/2014) http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/eu-boosts-aid-for-syrian-refugees-in-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75396&NewsCatID=359 "Today we are stepping up our assistance to the people of Syria and to the Turkish communities hosting Syrian refugees," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement. "Europe stands firmly with Turkey and is determined to play its role to the full to bring a lasting political solution to this regional crisis and humanitarian strategy."

Syrian Refugees brace for long haul in Turkey (12/11/2014) http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ffaf922e-7c69-11e4-9a86-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Lj7dztwF After more than three years of bloodshed that has killed more than 200,000 people and forced 9m to flee their homes, few refugees believe they can return soon. Many fear they never will. The sense of permanence is not just a worry for the 1.6m refugees in Turkey. Ankara itself is growing alarmed by both the economic and the social costs of its refugee burden.

Amnesty’s report calls on Turkey to allow in all Syrian refugees (11/20/2014) http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_ai-report-on-syrian-refugees-calls-on-turkey-to-allow-all-civilians-in_364861.html An Amnesty International (AI) report, released on Nov, 20, calls on Turkey to allow all civilians seeking to leave Syria to enter the country through official border crossings, regardless of whether or not they have valid passports or urgent medical needs.

Turkey faces a daunting challenge in trying to educate hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees (11/11/2014) http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-11-11/turkey-faces-daunting-challenge-trying-educate-hundreds-thousands-syrian-refugees Of the neighboring host countries, the children outside of school are highest in Turkey,” said Carol Batchelor, UNHCR’s chief in Turkey, at a recent Brookings Institution conference.

Turkey provides education for Syrian refugee children (11/10/2014) http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/148089/turkey-provides-education-for-syrian-refugee-children The Turkish government is offering a range of educational services to more than 150,000 Syrian refugee children, the Turkish Minister of National Education said on Monday.

Fleeing ISIS, Syrian Kurds Swarm into Turkey (09/23/2014) http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/09/fleeing-isis-syrian-kurds-swarm-into-turkey/100818/ ISIS fighters attacked a Kurdish city in northern Syria, after seizing 21 nearby villages in a major assault. The attack on the city of Ayn al-Arab, known as Kobani in Kurdish, drove hundreds of thousands of residents to flee, most heading to the nearby border with Turkey. Turkey is already housing more than one million Syrians who have fled the years-long conflict between government troops, rebel soldiers, and jihadist groups.

Filling in the Gaps: Migration Reform in Turkey (08/18/2014) http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/turkeys-evolving-migration-identity Over the last 20 years, Turkey has become a destination for regional migrants seeking economic opportunities and political and humanitarian asylum. Subsequently, the government has recently taken legislative action to reform relevant migration policies. Its new liberalizing policies are certainly a relief to many refugees and asylum seekers, but when it comes to long-term integration, has Turkey set the necessary foundation for this vulnerable group?

At Schools in Turkey, Syrian children learn lessons in tears (10/03/2013) http://www.stripes.com/news/at-schools-in-turkey-syrian-children-learn-lessons-in-tears-1.244257 Although teachers said they had no coherent lesson plans, children could be heard reciting their studies in unison. But underlying the outward sense of normalcy was a current of despair that students were unable to contain when asked about their lives in Syria and their current circumstances in Turkey.

Syrian Refugees in Turkey (05/2013) http://www.migrationpolicycentre.eu/docs/MPC-RR-2013-05.pdf Such a response has come with substantial cost, and by May 2013 the Turkish government had spent around $1.5 billion (€1.6 billion) on accommodating Syrian refugees. The rising price tag has now forced the Turkish government to seek international support for an operation that, at the beginning, was guarded as a government responsibility. Now UNHCR and other groups have much greater access to the refugees than they did at the beginning, but the Turkish government still maintains a large degree of control over the camps.

REFUGEES IN TURKEY

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UNHCR chief urges action to tackle rising poverty of Syrian refugees (01/14/2015) http://www.unhcr.org/54b67da19.html The UNHCR report, entitled "Living in the Shadows," showed that two-thirds of Syrian refugees across Jordan are now living below the national poverty line, and one in six lives in extreme poverty with expenditure of only around US$1.30 per day. The findings are based on the largest ever survey of refugee living conditions, involving nearly 150,000 individuals.

Security and Resilience Among Syrian Refugees in Jordan (10/14/2014) http://www.merip.org/mero/mero101414 Syrian refugees in Zaatari, and undoubtedly throughout Jordan and the region, are highly resilient and entrepreneurial as they navigate the complexities of their inherently insecure environment. There are many players in and around Zaatari, just as the Syrian crisis itself has become a proxy war in the region and the world. Still, Zaatari is the place 100,000 or so refugees must call “home” -- temporarily, yet with no end in sight.

Nutritional Status of Women and Child Refugees from Syria—Jordan, April-May 2014(07/25/2014) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6329a6.htm Unlike in many other humanitarian emergencies, preliminary results indicate that global acute malnutrition is relatively low in the Syrian refugee population in Jordan. The low prevalence of global acute malnutrition among refugee children might result, in part, from the ongoing infant and child feeding interventions supported by UNICEF and blanket distribution of food vouchers by WFP.

Labor Among Syrian Refugees Rises With Every Day the Crisis Continues (06/05/2014) http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases/emergency-response/jordan-child-labour-among-syrian-refugees-rises-with-every-day-the-crisis-continues.aspx Ahead of the International Day against Child Labor on 12 June, CARE raises concerns that the percentage of Syrian refugee children being pulled into the labor market and out of school continues to rise with every day the crisis continues. The Jordanian government estimates that child labor has doubled nationwide to 60,000 since the Syria crisis started more than three years ago.

Patience running out in Jordan after influx of Syrian refugees (01/12/2014) http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/01/jordan-syrian-refugees-patience-running-out Syrians, many of them highly skilled, are prepared to work for lower wages than Jordanians and even Egyptian guest workers. Rents and prices have risen astronomically. Unhappiness, frustration, and anger are heard everywhere. “We have received the lower end of Syrian society,” complains a middle-class Palestinian. “In Arabic we say a fish stinks after three days. But this could go on for years.”

Gender-based Violence and Child Protection Among Syrian Refugees in Jordan, With a Focus on Early Marriage (2013) http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2013/7/report-web%20pdf.pdf Two-thirds of Syrian refugees in Jordan reside outside of camps, in urban and rural communities throughout the country. They face unique challenges, from meeting the cost of living and accessing basic services to acclimating to their host communities and coping with intense psychosocial distress.

Syrian Refugees face abuse in Jordan: UN (08/07/2013) http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/08/06/317497/un-warns-about-syrian-refugees-plight/ The report also warned against the Syrian refugee’s problems in the Zaatari camp which houses nearly 130,000 refugees. It noted that repetitive calls by the UN for Jordan to improve security in the camps have failed.

Syrian Refugees, Children Struggle in Jordan (12/02/2012) http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/syrianrefugeesjordan.html# A major influx of refugees in recent weeks — about 500 cross into Jordan each night — has severely strained already overstretched Jordanian infrastructure and has put pressure on the kingdom’s finances as it faces some of the most significant protests in its history, which were sparked by simmering discontent over the worsening economic situation here. As it did when Iraqis fled violence in their country, the government has pledged to provide free education, health care, and other services to the Syrians.

REFUGEES IN JORDAN

Syrian Refugees in Urban Jordan: Baseline Assessment of Community-Identified Vulnerabilities Among Syria Refugees Living in Irbid, Madaba, Mufraq, and Zarqa (04/2013) http://www.care.org/sites/default/files/documents/EMER-JOR-2013-Syrian-Refugees-in-Urban-Jordan.pdf This baseline assessment builds on prior assessments and research conducted by CARE Jordan and other actors to further source and analyze information relating to the presence, strengths, capacities, resources, protection risks, and assistance needs of the Syrian refugee communities living in the urban areas of Northern Jordan.

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In Syria’s war refugees, Lebanon sees echoes of Palestinian crisis (01/06/2015) http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/6/lebanon-syria-refugees.html After several years of floundering over the Syrian refugee crisis, Lebanon’s fractious political leadership has heeded public outcry to stem a flow that has brought 1.5 million war-displaced people across its border. Under new restrictions , Syrians fleeing their country will no longer be guaranteed free passage to Lebanon, cancelling an open-door policy for its neighbor that had been in place since 1943.

Syrian refugees become less welcome in Lebanon, as new entry rules take effect (01/05/2015) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrian-refugees-become-less-welcome-in-lebanon-as-new-entry-rules-take-effect/2015/01/05/7e412f59-b357-4af4-95a4-5edf3df7af06_story.html The new procedures signal mounting concern in Lebanon over hosting more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations. The new rules also highlight how the almost four-year-old Syrian conflict appears to have diminished the influence of Damascus in Lebanon.

Repercussions of the Syrian Refugee Crisis for Lebanon (12/10/2014) http://carnegie-mec.org/2014/12/10/repercussions-of-syrian-refugee-crisis-for-lebanon/hw9w Lebanon is reeling from social tension as a result of the Syrian refugee crisis. This tension can be ascribed to multiple reasons: the per capita ratio of refugees, their demographic distribution and concentration in marginalized areas, insufficient financial support to deal with their influx, as well as a series of government measures that have backfired.

A Time Bomb in Lebanon: The Syrian Refugee Crisis (10/06/2014) http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=56857 A major driver of violence and political tension is Lebanon’s refugee crisis. Tolerance for the refugees is gradually turning into resentment. According to Lebanese government sources, Syrians occupy 60 percent of the Lebanese labor market, while the economic burden caused by the refugee problem has reached $3 billion, putting severe strain on the national infrastructure.

Lebanon ill-equipped to handle mental-health issues of Syrian refugee children (09/27/2014) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanon-ill-equipped-to-handle-ptsd-in-children-of-syrian-refugeees/2014/09/27/4b035b44-4406-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html The stress has left many with mental illnesses that include anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and developmental problems. Over half a million children have fled to Lebanon and four out of five of them are out of school. More than a million Syrian children in total have become refugees in Lebanon and in other countries.

A day in the life: Syrian refugees in Lebanon (07/02/2014) http://www.caritas.org/2014/07/day-life-syrian-refugees-lebanon/ Life is expensive for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. There are no official refugee camps so they must pay rent for the land their tents are pitched on, plus electricity, water, and somebody to take away the refuse. It’s about $1300 a year for a one room tent.

Syrian Refugee children forced to work to support families in Lebanon (02/22/2014) http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/2/22/syrian-refugee-childrenforcedtoworktosupportfamiliesinlebanon.html An NGO assisting refugees in Lebanon says that 40 percent of the children from the 7,500 refugee families in and around Baalbak have worked at some point. And the United Nations child advocacy unit, UNICEF, estimates that approximately 350,000 Syrian refugee children do not attend school.

The Plight of Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon (01/29/2014) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-hamill/syrian-refugee-children-in-lebanon_b_4687328.html For all of the complexity of the Syrian humanitarian crisis, there is one tragedy with an obvious solution: the plight of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. I witnessed first-hand the conditions in which these children are forced to live, and this is clearly one problem that the global community can quickly solve.

REFUGEES IN LEBANON

“Today, Lebanon hosts more Syrian refugees than any other country in the world, nearly 38 percent of the total Syrian refugee population.”

http://carnegie-mec.org/2014/12/10/repercussions-of-syrian-refugee-crisis-for-lebanon/hw9w

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REFUGEES IN IRAQ

Angelina Jolie: The World Must Do More for Syrian and Iraqi Refugees (01/25/2015) http://time.com/3681896/angelina-jolie-unhcr-syrian-iraqi-refugees/ Speaking from a displaced persons camp in northern Iraq on Sunday, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie asked the worldwide community to pledge more financial support for refugees in Syria and Iraq to prevent a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Refugee wave from Syria and Iraq now a ‘mega crisis,’ U.N. official says (11/17/2014) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/refugee-wave-from-syria-and-iraq-now-a-mega-crisis-un-official-says/2014/11/17/ebc5ee50-6eab-11e4-893f-86bd390a3340_story.html The crisis in Syria and Iraq have caused a flood of refugees that could destabilize neighboring countries and pose a threat to countries around the world, the senior refugee official for the United Nations said Monday. More than 13 million people, roughly the equivalent of Istanbul or greater metropolitan London, have been displaced by the conflict in the two countries, said António Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Syrian Refugees and Millions of Iraqis Displaced by Conflict: A Common Struggle to Find Work, Housing, and the Daily Basics (10/30/2014) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caroline-gluck/syrian-refugees-and-milli_b_6072732.html Local, regional and national authorities, as well as the humanitarian community in Iraq, are having to deal not only with the needs of Syrian refugees, but also those of internally displaced Iraqis. Akram and his family are among more than 10 000 Syrians who have fled Kobane and other areas of northern Syria via Turkey and into Iraq's Northern Kurdistan region (KR-I) over the last few weeks, joining around 220 000 other Syrian families who have sought safety in Iraq over the last three years.

Syrian Refugee Camp Trapped in Iraqi Territory Controlled by Insurgents (08/26/2014) http://www.wsj.com/articles/syrian-refugee-camp-trapped-in-iraqi-territory-controlled-by-insurgents-1409095125 ISIS fighters swept through the region housing the Al Obaidi camp for Syrian refugees in June. With little access to the outside world, UNHCR officials worry that food, medical equipment, and fuel will soon run dangerously low. The exiles ended up caught between two overlapping conflicts—a scenario that is emblematic of the challenge human-rights workers face as they struggle to contain the worst global refugee crisis in recent memory.

In Role Reversal, Syria Hosts Refugees Fleeing ISIS in Iraq (08/14/2014) http://www.syriadeeply.org/articles/2014/08/5952/role-reversal-syria-hosts-refugees-fleeing-isis-iraq/ This week militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) trapped thousands of Yazidis on northern Iraq's Mount Sinjar, leading to a reversal in refugee flows – thousands of desperate people fleeing from Iraq into Syria, after years of going in the opposite direction.

Syrian Refugees in Iraq Face New Uncertainties (06/20/2014) http://www.rferl.org/content/syrian-refugees-iraq-isil/25428979.html ISIL is moving southward, toward the capital, Baghdad. This has led hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to flee the fighting. Some have headed north, bringing competition and new uncertainties to the some 220,000 Syrian refugees, most of them Kurds, living in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region.

Syrian refugees cling to stability in Iraq (04/24/2014) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/04/syrian-refugees-cling-safety-iraq-201448102353645313.html While the United Nations is warning that Lebanon could buckle under the pressure of hosting more than a million Syrian refugees, the situation in northern Iraq is a different story. Here, refugees forced from their homes by the war in Syria are slowly rebuilding their lives. More than 45,000 Syrian refugees live in Domiz camp, close to the city of Dohuk on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Supporting Syrian refugees in northern Iraq (01/08/2013) http://www.maginternational.org/our-impact/news/supporting-syrian-refugees-in-northern-iraq/#.VMa3Qv7F948 More than 210,000 Syrians are registered as refugees in Iraq, with 2,500 crossing the border at Peshkhabour on Sunday January 5th alone. The Kurdistan region of Iraq is littered with mines and unexploded ordnance—remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime and the coalition forces’ bombardment of military bases in 2003. Many of those making the journey from Syria have no idea about these deadly threats in the area.

Interactive Map of the World’s Displaced People

Where are they and where are they from? http://www.rferl.org/contentinfographics/the-

worlds-displaced-people/25428369.html

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Left Out in the Cold: Syrian Refugees Abandoned by the International Community (12/2014) http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE24/047/2014/en/f9a8340f-d247-4c84-b3b8-ce4e8cbebf0d/mde240472014en.pdf Mass protests across Syria, beginning in March 2011, triggered a brutal crackdown by the Syrian government and led to an international armed conflict and humanitarian catastrophe. More than 190,000 people are reported to have died, and some 10.8 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria. One of the most urgent issues is resettlement of refugees from the five main host countries, but internationally the number of resettlement places on offer is shamefully low.

The Betrayal of Syria’s Refugees (12/12/2014) http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=57499 Since 2011, approximately four million Syrians have been forced to flee their country. Most have come no further than Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, or Egypt, the five countries that have shouldered 95 percent of the refugee burden following Syria’s breakdown. In other words, the West’s offer of 38,000 places for resettlement amounts to less than one percent of the total, or about two weeks of new arrivals to the UNHCR refugee camps.

Resettlement and Other Forms of Admission for Syrian Refugees (12/11/2014) http://www.unhcr.org/52b2febafc5.html This is a factsheet compiled by the UNHCR that lists countries that have resettled Syrian refugees in addition to how many refugees they have received.

Joint Agency Briefing Paper: Resettlement of Refugees from Syria (12/08/2014) http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp-syria-refugee-resettlement-geneva-en.pdf This document was written by Oxfam and other organizations involved in the Syrian refugee crisis to be presented to the UNHCR. With little sign of the conflict in Syria abating and over 3.2 million refugees registered in neighboring countries, more than 30 humanitarian, human rights, and refugee organizations are calling for the states attending the conference to commit to offer a safe haven to at least 5% of the projected refugee population by the end of 2015.

UN wants countries to take in 180,000 Syrian refugees (12/08/2014) http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/un-wants-countries-to-take-in-180000-syrian-refugees.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75319&NewsCatID=359 More than 30 humanitarian organizations launched an appeal on Dec. 8 for countries to take in around 180,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict. That figure would represent five percent of the projected refugee population by the end of 2015, according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Development and protection challenges of the Syrian refugee crisis (09/2014) http://www.fmreview.org/syria/zetter-ruaudel%20 In a region already hosting millions of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, the scale of the Syrian crisis is putting immense additional strains on the resources and capacities of neighboring countries and the international humanitarian system. The 3,300 refugees on average arriving in neighboring countries every day in 2014 place a large burden on the protection capacity of the host countries and international actors and further accentuate the already severe negative social, economic, and human developmental impacts on the host countries of the region.

U.S. aid to Syrian refugees generally stops at the border (12/27/2013) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-aid-to-syrian-refugees-generally-stops-at-the-border/2013/12/27/30237496-68cc-11e3-a0b9-249bbb34602c_story.html Only a tiny number of the more than 2 million refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war can meet the requirements to be resettled in the United States, frustrating international relief officials who say the numbers needing help could nearly double in the coming year. The Obama administration allowed only 90 Syrian refugees to make permanent homes in the United States, and about 50 made the journey from camps outside Syria to live in the United States over the past year, including 20 admitted since Oct. 1.

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

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The Status and Rights of Refugees http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/the_refugee_rights.pdf

Although it is impossible for those who have not been a refugee to fully comprehend what it is like, in this exercise students will attempt to put themselves, at least imaginatively, in their shoes. From this activity, students should understand that refugees are generally not able to plan their migration in advance; consequently they end up ill-prepared to face the incredibly difficult situations ahead of them.

Activity: Facilitator tells students that they will be given two minutes to gather their belongings, whatever they choose, since they are being forced from their house and community, and will most likely not return. Students should be given those two minutes to brainstorm and write down what they should take. If possible or appropriate, in order to make the situation seem more realistic, distractions, such as making noise or turning off the lights can be applied. These distractions can either be addressed now or in the question period. Following, engage students in a discussion regarding the lists that have been created and their content. Ask the following questions:

- What did you take with you? Why? - Why did you think you would need these things? - Why were the lights turned off? And the noise? - Did you take identification/documentation with you? Why would you need this? If you did not bring this, how can you prove who you are?

Check out the link for additional newspaper articles and discussion questions.

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

Still Failing Syria’s Refugees (12/24/2014) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/still-failing-syrias-refugees.html The international community is expected to offer shelter and support to more than 100,000 additional Syrian refugees, who have been forced from their homes by their country’s bloody civil war. That is progress — but it is not nearly enough when measured against the enormous need and the fact that some of the world’s wealthiest countries are still turning their backs on this humanitarian disaster.

More Nations Pledge to U.N. to Resettle Syrian Refugees (12/09/2014) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/10/world/middleeast/united-nations-wins-government-pledges-for-resettling-syrian-refugees.html?_r=0 The United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday that the number of Syrian refugees accepted for resettlement in third countries would more than double as a result of commitments given by governments at a “pledging conference” in Geneva. The agency’s tally, however, still fell well short of its own target and even further behind its estimate of those who need resettlement.

Is Resettlement a Solution for Syria’s Refugee Crisis? (11/13/2013) http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2013/11/13-syria-refugee-crisis-bradley Discussion around the Syrian refugee crisis is focused on how to help the refugees and their hosts weather what is shaping up to be a long-term problem. This will undoubtedly require increased support for over-burdened education, health, housing, and water systems in host countries. Another option on the table is resettling some of the Syrian refugees to countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany. This is an important option, but one that is unlikely to benefit more than a handful of Syrians.

Responding to the Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Conversation with T. Alexander Aleinikoff, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees (11/01/2013) http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/responding-syrian-refugee-crisis-conversation-t-alexander-aleinikoff-un-deputy-high Drawing on an informal conversation with T. Alexander Aleinikoff, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, during his visit to MPI in September, this article provides an update on the Syrian refugee crisis, including present and future challenges. The article also explores how the international community is increasingly recognizing the need to pursue a refugee crisis-response model that prioritizes comprehensive, long-term economic and social intervention.

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US to accept thousands of Syrian refugees for resettlement (12/22/2014) http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/12/us-syrian-refugees-accept-thousands-resettlement.html# US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard says the United States will dramatically increase the number of Syrian refugees allowed to resettle permanently in the United States from about 350 this year to close to 10,000 annually as the crisis grinds on into its fifth year.

West to resettle 100,000 Syrian refugees (12/12/2014) http://aranews.net/2014/12/west-resettle-100000-syrian-refugees/ The United Nations refugee agency revealed that Western governments demonstrated the intention to receive more Syrian refugees from neighboring countries, estimating that more than 100,000 residency permits will be offered to those refugees soon. Countries like Germany and Sweden have reportedly pledged places for an estimated 60,000 Syrian refugees, according to the UNHCR.

U.S. to accept Syrian refugees in greater numbers after slow start (12/10/2014) http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-refugees-20141211-story.html U.S. government intends to dramatically accelerate efforts to resettle refugees from the Syrian civil war and is preparing for a "surge" of thousands in each of the next few years, State Department officials announced this week. The United States has so far accepted only 300 of the more than 3.2 million refugees who have fled Syria since the war began almost four years ago.

Fleeing violence, Syrian refugees find new homes in Germany (12/08/2014) http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/8/fleeing-violencesyrianrefugeesfindnewhomesingermany.html The successful resettlement of Ziad and his family in Germany is an example of how the international community can provide Syria’s refugees a chance to restart their lives outside the Middle East. But such successes are rare. Syria’s neighbors are overstretched, hosting more than 3.2 million Syrian refugees — the rest of the world’s countries offered humanitarian admission to less than 62,000 Syrians, a “pitiful number,” according to Amnesty International.

With Dogs and Batons, Bulgaria Tells Syrian Refugees to Turn Back (04/29/2014) http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/04/29/307722541/with-dogs-and-batons-bulgaria-tells-syrian-refugees-to-turn-back Among the poorest European states, Bulgaria was ill-prepared for the spike in refugees who came across its border last fall. The government quickly beefed up border patrols as part of a "pushback" policy designed to keep the refugees in Turkey. It's a policy that refugees and rights advocates say the border police are executing with a vengeance.

Belgium plans to resettle 300 refugees in 2015 (03/12/2014) http://fedasil.be/en/news/reinstallation/belgium-plans-ro-resettle-300-refugees-2015 In a press release issued on 19 November 2014, Theo Francken, State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, confirmed his intention to double the number of places for the resettlement of vulnerable refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Resettlement: Solution to the Syrian Refugee Crisis? (07/01/2013) http://www.internationalpolicydigest.org/2013/07/01/resettlement-solution-to-the-syrian-refugee-crisis/ Given the existing number of Syrian refugees and its responsibility to protect them, the UNHCR is failing to use resettlement as a durable solution, as it has not only set an extremely modest resettlement goal, but it has also limited it to the most vulnerable refugee cases.

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

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The Future of Syria: Refugee Children in Crisis http://unhcr.org/FutureOfSyria/ Contains links to information about the various issues that Syrian child refugees face.

The trauma-filled tragedy of Syria’s child refugees (12/10/2014) http://theweek.com/article/index/267697/the-trauma-filled-tragedy-of-syrias-child-refugees Jordan has taken in 608,000 Syrian refugees, Turkey has 815,000, and Lebanon has accepted approximately 1.1 million, according to the U.N. Many have also escaped to Iraq, Egypt, and other countries across the Middle East. But hidden beneath this mammoth figure lies an even sadder story: More than half of these refugees are children. That is a startling tragedy. An entire generation of Syrian children have been brutalized by violence, driven from their homes, and forced to bear the weight of a war they did not start.

Syria’s stolen childhoods (12/07/2014) http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/4a8c4444-7a54-11e4-a8e1-00144feabdc0.html#slide0 Eleven million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes — and there is no sign that Syria’s almost four-year uprising-turned-civil war is going to end soon. The immediate priorities in a refugee crisis are relatively straightforward: people need shelter and food. But when it becomes a long-term crisis — growing at a rate of 5,000 people a day — the effort can be overwhelming.

Syria’s Lost Generation (04/11/2014) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/opinion/sunday/syrias-lost-generation.html?_r=0 Before the war, he said, he worked at a shoe store, and his three children excelled at school. It was a modest but happy middle-class life. But then came war, and suddenly rocket-propelled grenades were whooshing in all day and Aleppo was honeycombed by falling bombs. He lost his job and his children’s school closed; they would lose two full years of schooling before the family’s eventual escape.

A Lost Generation? A Strategy for Children Affected by the Syria Crisis (10/2013) http://www.unicef.org/appeals/files/Lost_Generation_-_Final_Draft_for_distribution_to_participants_09Oct2013.pdf This generation of children in Syria and in neighboring countries will decide the future of the region. As adults, will they have the skills to be agents of reconstruction and reconciliation? Will they be able to move beyond the hatreds and violence that are now tearing apart their childhoods?

EDUCATION

Education Never Been Deadlier for Syria’s Children, Save the Children Report Says (11/18/2014) http://www.savethechildren.net/article/education-never-been-deadlier-syria%E2%80%99s-children-save-children-report-says Save the Children's educational facilities in northern Syria have been affected by air strikes, shelling and explosions at least once a month over the last year. Only last June, air strikes forced staff to be evacuated from one of the schools supported by the children’s agency, while in August another school was severely damaged in an attack.

Three Million Children In Syria Are Not In School (10/18/2014) http://community.malala.org/3-million-syrian-children-out--726529347.html A report from Save the Children shows the impact of the ongoing conflict on education. Three million children are out of school in the country and refugees in neighboring countries are having difficulty attending school for a variety of reasons including bureaucracy and a lack of schools for all the displaced children.

Nearly 3 Million Syrian Children Not In School (09/18/2014) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/syrian-children-missing-school_n_5844380.html Nearly three million Syrian children are not attending school due to the civil war raging in their homeland, an international charity group said Thursday, as the country's intractable conflict threatens to deny an entire generation of education.

Lebanon-Syria: No School Today-Why Syrian refugee children miss out on education (09/09/2012) http://www.irinnews.org/report/96053/lebanon-syria-no-school-today-why-syrian-refugee-children-miss-out-on-education Of the 33,871 refugees registered in the country by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 51 percent are under the age of 18, and the majority of children face problems accessing education.

SYRIA’S GENERATION OUT OF SCHOOL

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If Syria’s cycle of violence is to be halted, we must invest in refugee education (12/08/2014) http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/dec/08/syria-refugee-cycle-violence-invest-refugee-education Refugee children almost always tell us that education is the most important thing in their lives. Why? Because being in school allows them to think of the future, rather than dwelling on the horrors of their past. It gives them a chance to fill their hearts with hope rather than hatred.

Syrian Refugees pursue education for their children, in hope for the future (11/30/2014) http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/syrian-refugees-pursue-education-for-their-children-in-hope-for-the-future-98470/ Refugees of the Syrian civil war say their new life has many burdens, but they hope that education for their children will ensure a brighter future. Turkey faces a daunting challenge in trying to educate hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.

Syrian refugees need more than food (04/09/2014) http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/3/education-for-syrianrefugeesinsufficient.html The path to peace and political stability for Syrians is complicated, but for young people, education puts a future without violence or exclusion within reach.

Refugee children determined to keep learning, as Syrian conflict reaches three-year mark (03/14/2014) http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/lebanon_72870.html Children are now able to attend non-formal educational classes organized by local NGO Beyond Association, supported by UNICEF, right on the settlement. The child-friendly spaces provide basic literacy and numeracy classes, an accelerated learning program, English lessons, psychosocial support and structured recreational activities for the refugee children. Some 400 children between the ages of 6 and 14 participate in either the morning or afternoon shifts.

Education for Syrian Refugees in Turkey – Beyond Camps (01/17/2014) http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/education-plus-development/posts/2014/01/17-turkey-syria-refugees-education-ackerman While there is still more to be done in camps, non-camp services are also critical. Many more children are residing in host communities than in camps in Turkey. In 2014, UNHCR expects 159,000 children to reside in camps, compared to 636,000 in host communities.

Bringing learning to Syrian refugee children in Lebanon (01/10/2014) http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/lebanon_71753.html Watch children, parents, and teachers discuss what it’s been like for Syrian refugee children to return to learning through ‘non-formal’ classes, in Lebanon.

CHILD MARRIAGE

Too Young to Wed: The growing problem of child marriage among Syrian girls in Jordan (2014) http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0-df91d2eba74a%7D/TOO_YOUNG_TO_WED_REPORT_0714.PDF War in Syria has killed more than 10,000 children. More than 1 million more have fled the country in fear, while millions more remain displaced inside the country. This briefing looks at another disturbing but less publicized impact of the crisis: the increase in the number of girls who have been forced to marry.

Child Marriage Continues to Rise Among Syrian Refugees (09/22/2014) http://muftah.org/child-marriage-continues-rise-among-syrian-refugees/#.VMfi2Gh4q-M Child marriage among Syrian refugees continues to increase at an alarming rate in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, leaving young girls vulnerable to abuse, health issues, and poverty. Interviews conducted with Syrian child brides in Jordan by UNICEF and Save the Children show that social and familial pressure are root causes behind the trend.

Child marriage soars among Syrian refugees in Jordan (07/16/2014) http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jul/16/child-marriage-syria-refugees-jordan Child marriage among Syrian refugees in Jordan has more than doubled since the start of the conflict, leaving girls vulnerable to health problems, domestic abuse, and poverty, the UN has warned. According to a report by the UN children's agency, UNICEF, almost a third of registered marriages among Syrian refugees in Jordan between January and March this year involved girls under 18. Jordan is home to more than 600,000 registered Syrian refugees.

SYRIA’S GENERATION OUT OF SCHOOL

“Across Syria, at least 3,465 schools have been destroyed or damaged, and many have been occupied for military purposes.“

Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.

aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=8943305&ct=14201753&notoc=1

Declaration of the Rights of the Child http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/1959-Declaration-of-the-Rights-of-the-Child.pdf

How are human rights being affected by the Syrian conflict?

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Life in a Jordanian Refugee Camp Inspires Soap Opera (12/06/2014) http://www.newsweek.com/2014/12/12/life-jordanian-refugee-camp-inspires-soap-opera-289079.html A man and a woman are screaming at each other in Arabic, rehearsing a scene from We Are All Refugees – a six-part audio soap pilot about the lives of Syrian refugees in Jordan due to be broadcast around the Middle-East this month. The project reflects life in a country where three quarters of the population are now estimated to be refugees, and to which over half a million Syrians have fled in three years.

U.N. Food aid halt pushing more Syrian refugee girls to early Marriage (12/04/2014) http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/04/us-syria-refugees-children-idUSKCN0JI24Q20141204 A growing number of refugee children were already dropping out of school to go to work or were being married early, and food shortages were contributing to this, she said. In July UNICEF said that nearly one in three marriages among Syrian refugees in Jordan involved a child under 18.

CHILD LABOR

Children At Work http://unhcr.org/FutureOfSyria/children-at-work.html#daily-bread Children like Mustafa, some as young as seven, must work long hours for little pay, and in some cases in dangerous conditions. In such circumstances, they are also forfeiting their future by missing out on an education. The majority of working children are boys, although some girls are employed, mostly in agriculture and domestic work.

These Syrian child refugees work in fields to support their displaced families (12/08/2014) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/syrian-child-refugees-work-fields-support-families/ Like children all over the world, 12-year-old Iman and 14-year-old Bushra are waiting for their morning ride. But this truck won’t take them to school. It will take them to a long day of backbreaking work.

The 200,000 Syrian Child refugees forced into slave labor in Lebanon (10/26/2014) http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-the-200000-syrian-child-refugees-forced-into-slave-labour-in-lebanon-9819622.html When their country’s cancerous war ends, they will be the new men and women who will have to return to rebuild their nation. But they will be half-educated, having lived through their childhood as laborers, sleeping in some of the filthiest camps in the land.

Thousands of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon forced to work: aid group (06/12/2014) http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/12/us-syria-crisis-children-idUSKBN0EN0VQ20140612 At least 50,000 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are working, often in dire conditions and for 12 hours a day, to pay for food and shelter for their families, aid organization CARE said.

Syrian refugee children in Lebanon forced to seek work (06/12/2014) http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jun/12/-sp-syrian-refugee-children-in-lebanon-forced-to-seek-work-in-pictures Over a million Syrian refugees have arrived in Lebanon, fleeing the conflict in their country. Syrians now make up a quarter of the population of this tiny Mediterranean country. Many were forced to leave with only what they could carry, and are living in desperate poverty. Finding work is difficult, and many families are forced to send their children out to work to make ends meet.

What Syrian Child Refugees ‘Working the Streets’ In Lebanon Really Means (04/23/2014) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/23/syrian-child-refugees-lebanon_n_5193908.html More than one million Syrians, nearly half of which are believed to be children, have fled to neighboring Lebanon since the start of the conflict more than three years ago. Lebanon's population has since swelled and with a lack of government infrastructure and dwindling resources, even the youngest refugees are forced to contribute in order for their families to survive.

Syrian child refugees who work – culture or coping mechanism? (12/17/2012) http://www.irinnews.org/report/97062/jordan-syrian-child-refugees-who-work-culture-or-coping-mechanism More than half the Syrian refugees in Jordan are under 18, and while the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) does not have any figures, it says it has observed a “tendency” of Syrian children working in Za’atari camp.

SYRIA’S GENERATION OUT OF SCHOOL

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CHILD SOLDIER RECRUITMENT

“Maybe We Live, and Maybe We Die”: Recruitment and Use of Children by Armed Groups in Syria (06/2014) http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria0614_crd_ForUpload.pdf Armed groups fighting the Syrian government have committed many serious abuses—including recruiting and using children under 18 in combat and in direct support roles. This report documents the experiences of 25 children who are current or former members or opposition armed groups.

Young Syrians make easy prey for militants (12/11/2014) http://www.seattleglobalist.com/2014/12/01/syria-isis-recruit-youth-refugee-education/31004 A study released by UK-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in September reported international funding pledges to educate an estimated 500,000 out-of-school Syrian children were largely unmet for the coming year, with $200 million in pledges from international donors still unfilled.

Education Crisis Threatens to push out-of-school Syrian refugee children into arms of militant groups such as ISIS (09/23/2014) http://www.odi.org/news/729-education-crisis-threatens-push-out-school-syrian-refugee-children-into-arms-militant-groups-such-as-isis The failure of donors to act on pledges to provide education to Syrian refugees could result in the recruitment of vulnerable children into extremist groups, warns Britain’s leading development aid think-tank the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).

Human Rights Watch: Child Soldiers Fighting in Syrian Opposition (12/12/2012) http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2012/12/hrw-accuses-syrian-opposition-of-enlisting-child-soldiers.html# The humanitarian organization met with “five boys between the ages of 14 and 16 who said they had worked with the armed opposition in Homs, Daraa, and Khirbet al-Jawz, a small Idlib town near the Turkish border. Three of the boys, all aged 16, said they carried weapons. One said he received military training and participated in attack missions. Two boys — aged 14 and 15 — said they, together with other boys, supported opposition brigades by conducting reconnaissance or transporting weapons and supplies.

Syria: Opposition Using Children in Conflict (11/29/2012) http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/29/syria-opposition-using-children-conflict Armed opposition groups fighting in Syria are using children for combat and other military purposes, Human Rights Watch said today. Children as young as 14 have served in at least three opposition brigades, transporting weapons and supplies and acting as lookouts, Human Rights Watch found, and children as young as 16 have carried arms and taken combat roles against government forces.

How child soldiers are recruited from refugee camps (09/04/2011) http://theconversation.com/how-child-soldiers-are-recruited-from-refugee-camps-2938 It’s difficult to hone down the data about how many child soldiers are involved across the globe at any one time but current estimates suggest 200,000-250,000 in total. The stereotyped image of the child soldier is the photo that appears on the front of most books of a seven-year-old African boy with a Kalashnikov in his hand. Most child soldiers are not African, most are adolescents and not young children, and most don’t carry guns.

SYRIA’S GENERATION OUT OF SCHOOL

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“They would bring a car and go around to houses to pick up children. They taught children how to read the Quran, then taught us about weapons...They taught us how to take apart and put together a weapon, they put up a target for us to practice shooting outside the mosque. Anyone who hit the target got a reward.”

“Majed”, a former child soldier

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MercyCorps https://www.mercycorps.org/syria When a natural disaster strikes, an economy collapses, or conflict erupts, Mercy Corps is there. We respond immediately to meet urgent needs for food, water, and shelter, and stay beyond the emergency to partner with communities for their long-term recovery.

The International Rescue Committee – Seattle http://www.rescue.org/us-program/us-seattle-wa/volunteer-and-internship-opportunities Every year IRC volunteers and interns contribute thousands of hours to help refugees in King County prepare for employment, apply for U.S. citizenship, make new friends and ultimately become more involved in our community.

Kimse Yok Mu http://www.kimseyokmu.org.tr/index.php?lang=en Kimse Yok Mu is an international civil society organization that carries out humanitarian aid with its tens of thousands volunteers, regardless of religion, language, race, and gender. KYM undertakes activities in 40 branches in 81 cities of Turkey and in 113 countries around the world.

Catholic Relief Services http://www.crs.org/jordan/syrian-and-iraqi-refugees/ Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We are motivated to act to promote human development by responding to major emergencies, fighting disease and poverty, and nurturing peaceful and just societies.

Relief International http://www.ri.org/where_we_work/country.php?ID=28 Relief International is a humanitarian non-profit agency that provides emergency relief, rehabilitation, development assistance, and program services to vulnerable communities worldwide. Relief International is solely dedicated to reducing human suffering and is non-political and non-sectarian in its mission.

ORGANIZATIONS

About Salaam Cultural Museum (SCM) SCM is a charitable non-profit organization formed in February 1996 to gather and publish information on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and to promote understanding of the people, cultures, languages, religions, and lands of this region. We also collect and distribute humanitarian aid and coordinate medical missions to the region. Our current focus is on aiding the displaced Syrians that have fled the violence in Syria to neighboring countries. Many of them are injured or sick and in desperate need of medical care.

Malki-SCM Children’s Center In November 2013, the Malki-SCM Children’s Center was opened in Amman, Jordan. It has been approved by the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development as a social center and is a program primarily for Syrian refugee children, with 20% of the children being Jordanian. The Center serves children from 6 to 12 years old and actively involves parents serving in parent committees and discussion groups. The goal of this project is to ensure that children traumatized by exposure to war and violence are able to cope with those experiences and find it possible to achieve their potential.

Follow SCM’s blog here: https://salaamculturalmuseum.wordpress.com/blog/

Donate to SCM’s projects here: https://salaamculturalmuseum.wordpress.com/donations/

Salaam Cultural Museum

https://salaamculturalmuseum.wordpress.com/

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ORGANIZATIONS

UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/ We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity.

Save the Children http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.

Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) http://www.rewa.org/ ReWA is a non-profit, multi-ethnic organization that promotes inclusion, independence, personal leadership, and strong communities by providing refugee and immigrant women and their families with culturally and linguistically appropriate services. ReWA advocates for social justice, public policy changes, and equal access to services while respecting cultural values and the right to self-determination.

World Relief Seattle http://worldreliefseattle.org/ In community with the local church, World Relief Seattle envisions the most vulnerable people transformed economically, socially, and spiritually. World Relief recognizes that one of the most vulnerable populations in Seattle are refugees and immigrants, and envisions them in long-term, mutually transformative relationships with volunteer or church companions, equipped to face the many hurdles along the path to self-sufficiency, and becoming fully functioning and vibrant participants in our community.

Islamic Relief USA http://www.irusa.org/ Islamic Relief USA strives to alleviate suffering, hunger, illiteracy, and diseases worldwide regardless of color, race, religion, or creed, and to provide aid in a compassionate and dignified manner. Islamic Relief USA aims to provide rapid relief in the event of human and natural disasters and to establish sustainable local development projects allowing communities to better help themselves.

War Child International http://www.warchild.org/ War Child works toward a world in which no child’s life is torn apart by war. Armed conflict is a reality for millions of children today. War Child is committed to supporting these children to overcome their experiences, and have a real chance at a better future.

Refugee Forum of King County http://www.kingcountyrefugeeforum.org/ The Refugee Forum of King County strives to respond to the changing needs of refugee communities and the organizations that serve them. RFKC seeks to improve the lives of refugees in King County through shared values of information sharing, problem solving, and creating community connections.

Field Trip Idea: World Relief’s Refugee Simulation Project

http://worldreliefseattle.org/refugee-simulation-project

The Refugee Project: Walk in My Shoes is a simulation that transforms groups into refugees, escaping for their lives.

Separated into “families” from various countries and transformed by ethnic clothing, groups must memorize their

biographies before visiting simulated US Department of State, a feeding station, and a medical screening clinic.

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6 Resources for Teaching About Syria (09/12/2013) http://humaneeducation.org/blog/2013/09/12/6-resources-teaching-syria/ Steve Goldberg, teacher, and founder of the Triangle Learning Community, says, “If a middle or high school today is NOT teaching its students about Syria, then it’s cheating students of a rare opportunity to be engaged global citizens.” If you’d like to bring these issues into your classroom, here are six resources to help.

7 Top Classroom Resources for Teaching Syria (09/10/2013) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/2013/09/5-top-classroom-resources-teaching-syria/ Help your students understand the situation in Syria and what role the U.S. may play in its future with these resources, including an article, four lesson plans, a resource page, and a cheat sheet. Also check out the NewsHour Extra Syria archives for even more in-depth context and content for your class.

The Conflict in Syria: Class Discussion Guide (Grades 9-12) http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/syria-conflict-discussion-guide-2013.shtml As the conflict in Syria continues to escalate, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of the various groups fighting for control of the country. EducationWorld offers the following synopsis that teachers can use to answer students’ questions. In addition, we provide class discussion questions for educators who prefer to dig a little deeper.

Lesson Plan: The Challenges of Refugee Resettlement (Grades 9-12) http://www.pbs.org/pov/raininadryland/lesson_plan.php By the end of this lesson, students will use viewing and note taking strategies to understand and interpret a video clip, create and analyze a bar graph that represents the number of refugees admitted to the US from various regions of the world in a given year, work in groups to read an article and identify the challenges faced by various organizations that assist refugees, and develop strategies to address the challenges of resettling refugees.

LESSON PLANS

Refugees and Children in Our World (Grades 6-8) http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit189/lesson4.html

Learners will describe problems of refugee populations around the world and human rights issues related to refugees. They will explain how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child act to protect human rights. Understanding that refugees exist on all populated continents, learners will have a wider understanding of the basic human need for dignity that all refugees feel.

Objectives: - Define refugee and describe what conditions cause persons to leave their homes. - Explain the work of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. - Describe protections afforded refugees and children through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. - Map the movement of refugees from their homes to host countries and explain their ties to those countries. - Reflect on what a country’s treatment of refugees says about its spirit of philanthropy and respect for human rights.

Activity: Distribute 3x5 cards to the learners. Tell them that they are to imagine that rebel troops have just attacked their village. They have to leave very quickly and run away. They need to write down three things they will take with them. Ask learners to share what they wrote on their cards and ask them to explain why they selected what they did.

Write the word refugee on the board and ask learners to give their ideas of what a refugee is. Record their responses. Using information about Basic Facts about Refugees, define refugee and provide enough information for learners to understand what causes persons to become refugees.

Show the video To Be a Refugee and discuss situations that turn persons into refugees.

Have the learners write a paragraph in their journals about how people become refugees.

Put learners in small groups and ask them to make a list of rights they think all persons should have. Ask learners to share the rights they had on their lists. Record their responses. Share a simplified version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with learners. Discuss which of these rights may be violated as related to refugees.

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Refugee Children (Ages 9-11) http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display_doc.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unhcr.org%2Fcgi-bin%2Ftexis%2Fvtx%2Fsearch%3Fpage%3Dsearch%26docid%3D4582bfb62%26query%3Dlesson+plan+for+refugee+children&external=N The objective of this lesson is to understand the abnormal and trying conditions in which refugee children live and to introduce the idea that people’s basic needs are considered rights.

Immigrant/Refugee Awareness Instructional Materials http://www.brycs.org/clearinghouse/Highlighted-Resources-Immigrant-Refugee-Awareness-Instructional-Materials.cfm This page contains links to various other classroom resources and lesson plans for addressing issues of immigration and refugee resettlement.

Passages: A simulation awareness game confronting the plight of refugees (Grades 9-12) http://www.unhcr.org/473dc1772.pdf The purpose of this game is to create awareness of the difficulties experienced by refugees.

Syria Child Refugees (Grades 6-10) http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/static/education/child-refugees-syria.pdf This scheme of work and activities are designed to introduce children and young people to the issue of Syrian child refugees.

Voices of Iraqi Refugees (Grades k-4) http://www.discoverhumanrights.org/uploads/final_iraqi_voices_teaching_guide.pdf The Voices of Iraqi Refugees curriculum is comprised of a teacher background on Iraqi refugees and three separate lesson plans for elementary, middle school, and high school students. The goals of these lessons are to help students make a connection between themselves and Iraqi refugee children and learn how to welcome refugees into their classrooms and schools, and to provide basic facts about Iraqi refugees and build empathy.

I Am Syria – Six Easy Steps for a Teacher-Friendly, Zero-Prep, 40-Minute Lesson Plan (Grades 6-12) http://www.iamsyria.org/syria-for-educators.html This Teach Syria educational toolkit is designed by teachers for teachers, and allows you to feel comfortable teaching about Syria without having to feel like you are an expert—within a 40-minute lesson plan. Our hope is that these ready-to-use, Common Core-friendly materials will help to bring in-depth foreign policy education to your classroom, highlighting history in action via a contemporary global and humanitarian issue, allowing your students to learn in a new interactive way geared towards a millennial audience.

Syria: A Children’s Crisis? (Grades 6-8) http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/syria Oxfam’s school resources outline the impact of the crisis on refugee children in Lebanon and Jordan and suggest how young people can effectively respond.

Teaching about the crisis in Syria http://globaldimension.org.uk/news/item/17655 A round-up of background information and resources to help you teach about the situation in Syria.

British Red Cross Lesson Plans http://www.redcross.org.uk/Tags/Refugees-?cts=teachingresources This page is a compilation of Red Cross educator resources under the tag “refugees”. Specific subject include stigma and migration, Syrian refugee choices, and World War II primary resource activities.

Refuge: 18 Stories from the Syrian Exodus (2013) http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/syrian-refugees/story/refuge/ In October, Washington Post photographer Linda Davidson and I set off for Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon to report on the Syrian refugee crisis, one of the largest forced migrations of people since World War II. Our goal was to document the size and complexity of the crisis, showing its effects on the lives of individual refugees as well as the lasting impacts on the countries hosting them. We broke the crisis down into 18 personal stories of a wide range of refugees.

LESSON PLANS

World Refugee Day is June 20, 2015

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-refugee-day This day honors the courage, strength, and determination of men, wom-

en, and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict, and violence

UK’s Refugee Week is June 15-21, 2015

http://www.refugeeweek.org.uk/ Refugee Week is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events and activities that celebrates the contribution of refugees to the UK and promotes better understanding of why people seek sanctuary.

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Background to the ConflictSyria, or the Syrian Arab Republic, is a multiethnic country ruled by a minority ethnic group since 1970, when Hafiz al-Assad launched a bloodless coup and established authoritarian rule. He installed loyalists in key government positions, many of whom were from his Alawite sect (an offshoot of Shi’a Islam), and he suppressed dissent violently. Power transferred to Hafiz al-Assad’s son, Bashar al-Assad, upon the former’s death in 2000, but hopes for political reform were not fulfilled. Beginning in 2008, though, Syria gradually began to improve its foreign affairs, and the economy grew rapidly amid economic liberalization.

From Clashes to Civil WarHowever, the growth was not felt uniformly, and by 2010 the youth unemployment rate was still around 20 percent. In 2011, discontent among Syrians in response to economic pressures and the lack of political reform reflected the mood elsewhere in the Middle East—Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, and Libya—where popular protests had already begun to topple governments. In March, the so-called “Arab Spring” came to Syria, as children and teenagers in the city of Daraa were arrested for painting anti-government graffiti on the walls of a school. When demonstrators demanded that they be released, the police cracked down and dozens of protesters were killed. The president, facing calls for his resignation, promised changes, but then the regime ordered troops into Daraa to clamp down on the protests. Since that time violence has increased between Assad’s forces and rebel groups fighting to bring down the government. In July 2012 the Red Cross declared the conflict a civil war.

Over the years, the stalemated conflict became more violent and complex. The Free Syrian Army, led by generals who defected from Assad’s army, does not fight government forces alone; al-Qaeda-linked jihadist fighters have also joined the effort. Meanwhile, the government is supported by Iran and Russia, the latter of which has opposed United Nations intervention with its veto on the Security Council. As the Syrian war nears its third anniversary in March 2014, more than 140,000 lives had been lost. Though both sides have been accused of committing human rights abuses, it is widely believed that the Assad regime is responsible for a chemical weapons attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of people and sickened thousands of others.

Syria: No Lost GenerationGlobal CitizenShip brief

Syria at a Glance

Capital: Damascus

Largest city: Aleppo

President: Bashar al-Assad

Population (July 2012 estimate): 22,530,746

Official language: Arabic

Major ethnic groups: Arabs (Sunni Muslim): 59.1%, Alawites (Shi’a Muslim, Arabic speaking): 11.8%, Levantines (Christian, Arabic speaking): 9.3%, Kurds (mostly Sunni Muslim): 8.9%, others: 10.9%

Area – comparative: slightly larger than North Dakota

Economic classification (pre-war): Lower middle income ($2,610 gross national income per capita (2010))SOURCES: CIA World Factbook, Reuters, World Bank, Al-Arabiya

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Background for Educators

Maarat al-numaan, Syria, 2013

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International Attempts at PeaceDespite almost two years of diplomacy, the United Nations had little to show for its efforts besides a 2012 international agreement called the Geneva Communiqué, which pledged support for a transitional governing body to be mutually agreed to by the present government and opposition and other groups. On January 25, 2014, the UN hosted talks in Switzerland, called Geneva 2, between the government and opposition to follow up on that agreement. However, by February 14, the talks had become deadlocked, with the government showing no interest in replacing President Assad. The conference broke up the next day, and each faction accused the other side of trying to derail the talks.

U.S. Policy on SyriaThe United States has been cautious in its support for the Syrian rebels. However, President Obama warned Assad that Syria’s use of its chemical weapons, prohibited by international agreement, would constitute a “red line” for the U.S. That line was crossed in summer 2013 with Assad’s alleged chemical weapons attack. Amid great debate about the legality and consequences of U.S. military intervention, the Russian government unexpectedly helped to negotiate a deal in which the Syrian government agreed to have all of its chemical weapons destroyed. The U.S. maintains a watchful eye on the situation.

As of February 2014, the U.S. policy toward Syria remains that of limited action. It is committed to developing strategy with the moderate opposition and providing them with nonlethal assistance. The U.S. is also pushing for a political settlement between the Syrian government and the moderate opposition for regime change. 1On the humanitarian side, a recent additional pledge will bring the total to more than $1.7 billion in aid since the crisis began.2

A Humanitarian EmergencyAs Syria’s war begins its fourth painful year, it has escalated to one of the most brutal conflicts the world has witnessed in recent decades. Countless homes, schools, clinics, hospitals, water and sanitation systems, and essential community infrastructures have been destroyed or severely damaged. Large-scale displacement is resulting in over-crowded shelters both inside Syria and in the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq. The capacity

1 Ambassador Robert S. Ford, “Opening Statement Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee” (testimony, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, October 31, 2013), accessed February 17, 2014, http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/216163.htm.

2 “Syria,” United States Agency for International Development, last updated February 20, 2014, http://www.usaid.gov/crisis/syria.

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encampment for internally displaced persons in Syria, near the border with turkey

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Syria: No Lost GeNeratioN

of host communities to support fleeing Syrians is overstretched. Violence makes it dangerous for people to gain access to education, water, food, and health care services.

The threats to children are both physical and emotional. Over five million children’s lives—both in Syria and those who have been forced to leave—have been devastated, and an entire generation is at risk. Child refugees, now numbering over one million, make up half of all refugees from the Syrian conflict, according to UNICEF and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The latest figures show that more than 740,000 Syrian refugees are under the age of 11. They arrive in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and other neighboring countries in desperate condition, having walked for days, often under fire. Inside Syria, some 10,000 children have been killed during the conflict, according to the United Nations Security Council. Tens of thousands more have been injured. UNHCR and UNICEF estimate of the 6.5 million people displaced, almost 3 million are children. Months and months of unspeakable horrors have left children in a deep state of fear and distress. Parents are reporting their children cling to them more, have recurring nightmares, and are afraid of loud noises. These are the invisible scars of the conflict.

UNICEF in ActionDespite the intense violence and challenges in access and security, UNICEF has managed to scale up its response and presence inside Syria. UNICEF’s services and supplies have reached hundreds of thousands of children, including many living in opposition-held areas, delivered by aid convoys and through its partners. These convoys have delivered lifesaving supplies to people in some of the hardest to reach areas where heavy fighting is taking place, such as Aleppo.

UNICEF provides children inside Syria and among refugee populations with clean water, sanitation, and health services including immunization, as well as opportunities to catch up on missed schooling. To date, the agency has provided psychosocial support and learning programs for close to 335,000 children. UNICEF also helps to ensure children are protected against the risks of being caught in areas of active conflict, recruitment into armed forces and militias, and sexual exploitation. And throughout the region, UNICEF and its partners are establishing child-friendly spaces—safe places where children can play, socialize, and act like children again each day.

For the children of Syria, the crisis is an unprecedented emergency, unique in its magnitude, depth, and scope. UNICEF has pledged to do “anything and everything” to support families as the region struggles with unimaginable circumstances.

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Safa (right), 6, laughs with her twin sister, Marwa (left), and 9-year-old sister, aya (center), in za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. there, Safa regularly receives physical therapy due to losing her right leg during an attack in Syria. after school in za’atari, she spends her afternoons in a child-friendly space.

for the most up-to-date information and numbers from the ground, visit UniCef’s humanitarian action for Children site for Syria (unicef.org/appeals/Syria.html)

UNIT OVERVIEW

Prepared by: Ryan Hauck School/Location: Glacier Peak High School, Snohomish, WA

Subject: Social Studies (adaptable) Grade: 12 Unit Title: Conflict, Human Rights, and Refugee Populations Time Needed: 2-3 weeks

Unit Summary: Students will be learning about the role of conflict and its impact on communities around the world with a specific focus on Syria. An exploration of how domestic and/or international conflict affects human rights, especially for the most vulnerable, such as children, will give students a context for understanding the short and long term effects on displaced populations. Students will participate in a variety of learning activities and determine what they can do to address the issue. During these activities, students will reflect on their own views, consider diverse perspectives, communicate key themes and ideas, and make connections between the local and the global. Through investigative activities, students will ultimately develop a greater understanding of the relationship between conflict, human rights, and its impact on vulnerable populations. In addition, students will develop the critical thinking skills necessary in our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.

Stage 1 Desired Results

ESTABLISHED GOALS: WA State Learning Standards: CIVICS 1.4.1: Analyzes and evaluates ways of influencing national governments and international organizations to establish or preserve individual rights and/or promote the common good. CIVICS: 1.3.1: Evaluates the impact of international agreements on contemporary world issues. SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS: 5.2.2: Evaluates the breadth of research to determine the need for new or additional investigation when researching an event or issue. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among key details and ideas. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Transfer

Students will be able to independently use their learning to…(real world purpose) T1. Develop critical thinking skills by analyzing primary sources. T2. Identify and recognize multiple perspectives and how these perspectives influence interactions, behavior, and decision-making. T3. Investigate the world by identifying an issue, generating questions, and explaining its significance locally, regionally, or globally. T4. Translate their ideas and findings to seek out ways to address an issue of global significance.

Meaning

UNDERSTANDINGS Students will understand that… 1. Conflict has an impact on communities, as

well as their human rights. 2. Access to education, housing, water,

health care, etc. are fundamental human rights (and different types of rights exist and are identified by international law)

3. Various issues lead to religious, ethnic, cultural and social conflict.

4. An analysis of how conflict affects the rights of individuals, such as a child’s right to an education in various contexts, is important to understanding and addressing the issue of conflict and the rights of displaced people.

5. Citizens can take an active role in solving

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS E1. How does conflict (religious, ethnic, cultural, social) affect basic rights? E2. What should be considered a human right? What are child’s rights? What are different types of rights? E3. What are the short and long term effects of conflict on human rights (and the broader societal implications on local, regional, and global communities?), including displaced populations (refugees) E4. What methods can be used to protect human rights in “emergency situations,” such as Syria?

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS: THEMATIC STANDARD: GLOBAL CONNECTIONS: Help learners to explain conditions and motivations that contribute to conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among groups, societies, and nations. CIVIC IDEALS AND PRACTICES: Create opportunities for learning participation in activities to strengthen “the common good,” based on careful evaluation of possible options for citizen action. GLOBAL COMPETENCY (From the Asia Society: http://asiasociety.org/globalcompetence)

Investigate the world

Communicate Ideas

Recognize perspectives

Take action RESOURCES: UNESCO: Education for All Global Monitoring Report: The Hidden Crisis: Armed Conflict and Education (2011) http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2011-conflict/ Universal Declaration of Human Rights: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ UN Human Rights: Convention on the Rights of the Child: http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx Under Siege: The Devastating Impact on Children of Three Years of Conflict in Syria; UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Under_Siege_March_2014.pdf “Syria’s Children: How Conflict Can Affect Brain Development”http://www.wvi.org/experts/syria%E2%80%99s-children-

global issues.

E5. What responsibilities do we have (locally, regionally, and globally) to ensure basic rights, such as education and healthcare, are provided before, during, or after conflicts? E6. What are the challenges in securing human rights during emergency situations? E7. What actions do international actors take in responding to conflict and emergency situations to protect basic human rights, including those of displaced populations?

Acquisition

Students will know… (Content) K1. Specific factors that lead to conflict between groups of people. K2. The effects of conflict, both short And long term, on youth, families, communities, nations, etc. K3. Why education, health care, housing, etc are considered basic human rights. K4. How children and societies are affected when conflict disrupts education K5. How to evaluate specific case studies and draw meaningful conclusions. K6. That different methods that can be Used to alleviate the negative impact of conflict on basic human rights.

Students will be able to… (Skills) S1. Analyze various resources (including primary sources) to acquire information and draw conclusions. S2. Evaluate and articulate the impact of conflict on education from diverse perspectives. S3. Cite specific evidence to explain the affect of conflict on education. S4. Develop specific action steps and/or policy recommendations to alleviate or address the impact of conflict on education. S5. Make analyze and make connections between global and local issues. S6. Discuss and communicate their conclusions during class activities and assignments.

%E2%80%93-how-conflict-can-harm-brain-development Refuge: 18 Stories from the Syrian Exodus http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/syrian-refugees/story/refuge/ Education in Emergencies: A Resource Tool Kit (UNICEF) http://www.unicef.org/rosa/Rosa-Education_in_Emergencies_ToolKit.pdf When Disaster Strikes: Understanding Humanitarian Emergencies (UNICEF) http://teachunicef.org/explore/topics/emergencies.pdf I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb The Daily Show: Extended Interview with Malala Yousafzai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGL6YY6oMs Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario

Stage 2 – Evidence

Assessment Evaluation Criteria (Learning Target or Student Will Be Able To)

Assessments FOR Learning: (ex: kwl chart, exit ticket, observation, draft, rehearsal): Formative Assessments:

1. Graphic Organizer: Students will utilize a cause and effect chart to brainstorm what they know about the causes of conflict and their affect on communities (Students will have an opportunity to revisit this chart at the end of the unit to assess what changes and new information acquired as a result of their learning).

2. Think, Pair, Share: Students will work with two other students to compare and contrast their ideas on the graphic organizer. They will consolidate their ideas and each small group will utilize a piece of construction paper to summarize their

1. Identify specific causes of conflict and briefly explain what impact conflict has on communities – locally, nationally, and globally.

2. Briefly explain and share their ideas in a small group. They will also be able to synthesize and summarize their responses, looking for similarities and differences among those in their group. Students will also be able to develop

responses. Each group will also develop 2 key questions they have about the impact of conflict on communities.

3. Discussion Activity: Each group will share their conclusions with the class and the teacher will make a master list of these key ideas and questions.

4. Authentic Voices: Students will explore the “voices” of those

individuals who have impacted by conflict. As students read and listen to these “stories,” they will be responsible for identifying the physical and psychological (emotional, mental) impact of conflict on these individual’s lives. Students will identify key information (including similarities and differences) to be used in a performance task. Students will also work in small groups to classify their findings and share their conclusions with the class. Link to Washington Post Project on Syrian Voices: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/syrian-refugees/story/refuge/

5. Poem: Students will write a brief poem from the perspective of the “voices” they examined.

6. Human Rights Activity: Students will brainstorm human rights that are applicable to all citizens regardless of their country.

7. Universal Declaration of Human Rights Document and the Convention on the Rights of the Child analysis: Students will be given parts of two documents, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Students will examine each document and highlight key examples of the “rights” given to all citizens, including children.

questions they have about the effect of conflict on communities.

3. Discuss their group’s conclusions and key questions with the class.

4. Identify, compare and contrast, and recognize diverse perspectives by completing this formative assessment and sharing their ideas in classroom discussion.

5. Compose a poem that reflects, illustrates, and expresses from a diverse perspective what they have learned from an “authentic voice.”

6. Identify human rights that should be applicable across the world and discuss

their ideas in class discussion.

7. Analyze the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child by using literacy strategies (highlighting key ideas, writing questions in the margin, etc.) to extract key ideas contained in the documents, compare and contrast human rights found in both, raising

Students will develop a master list of 10 significant rights and write a brief explanations of each right in their own words. Students will also be responsible for sharing their conclusions from these documents in class discussion.

8. Case Studies: Students will work in pairs to explore and investigate a specific case study. This assignment will require students to utilize their research skills, apply what they have learned about the causes of conflict, and its impact on human rights.

9. Connecting the Local to the Global: Students will investigate

the recent developments of children coming across the border in search of a better life. Students will examine what rights these immigrant children have and whether or not the U.S. government (or other countries in similar circumstances) has a responsibility to provide basic services, such as education or health care. Students will examine two news articles.

10. Seattle Context Activity: Students will investigate the

challenges facing immigrant children in the Puget Sound region and determine whether or not they have access to basic rights. Students will contact several organizations or government agencies in the Seattle area to conduct telephone interviews.

11. Enrique’s Journey: Students will also read selections from Enrique’s Journey (about a boy from Honduras who makes the difficult journey to the United States) to reflect on a personal story of child trying to reach the U.S. (compare to previous learnings and activities).

12. Emergency Situation Context Assignment: Students will explore how a child’s basic human rights are being affected by conflict or an emergency situation. Choosing a different research locale (from their case study presentation), students will choose a specific human right (education, healthcare, housing, water/sanitation) and investigate to what extent this is being provided. Students will create a website with a blog to publicize

question, and briefly explaining the intent of different human rights.

8. Utilize their research skills to access and collect information about their specific case study (Syria, Haiti, Congo, etc.) in preparation for a presentation. Students will demonstrate their ability to use a variety of websites and organize their notes/information/findings.

9. Apply what they have learned in previous lessons by analyzing two news articles and writing a letter to their Congressman about what actions should be taken.

10. Develop a questionnaire, conduct an interview, and create an assessment of

the right of immigrant children in our local community.

11. Read passages from Enrique’s Journey and identify/analyze/communicate the

challenges facing the main character (as well as his personal qualities) as he travels to the United States.

12. Analyze information, distinguish between sources, apply previous learnings,

and develop a website and blog to demonstrate their understanding of the impact of emergency situations on children (in a specific context).

their findings and post questions for others to respond.

13. Skype Session: Students will participate in a Skype session with a UNICEF worker in Turkey (who is working with Syrian refugees, including children). Students will be required to generate questions prior to the session and participate in a post-Skype discussion to assess their conclusions (Check UNICEF site for possibilities/contacts)

13. Develop questions based on their knowledge of human rights and communicate their ideas during class discussion.

Assessment OF Learning: (ex: performance task, project, final paper) Summative Assessments:

1. Case Studies: Students will prepare a Prezi or PowerPoint Presentation in which they given overview of the information they collected in the research activity, as well as an analysis of their findings (see specific lesson plan).

2. Advocacy Project: Based on your knowledge and analysis of the

impact of conflict and/or emergency situations on human rights (and/or the rights of a child), create one of the following: (see individual rubric) A. A magazine that is devoted to educating others about the

role and impact of conflict on communities as well as its affect on a person’s human rights (including children).

B. A painting or graffiti art that creatively incorporates and expresses key themes from our unit on conflict and human rights.

C. A children’s book that discusses the impact of conflict and

human rights, especially the disruption of education, from a global perspective. This will include text as well as illustrations.

3. Action Plan: Students will work in small groups to develop a specific action plan to address the issue of human rights in the midst of conflict or emergency situations. (see lesson plan)

1. Demonstrate their understanding and analysis of a specific case study (in which conflict has occurred and the rights of a child are in question) by communicating their ideas in a presentation to the class.

2. Apply, analyze, illustrate, and create an innovative project that demonstrates their understanding and synthesis of key themes, ideas, and content related to conflict and human rights.

3. Organize, evaluate, and create an action plan that addresses human rights issues for those affected by conflict or emergency situations.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan2.

Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction ( Make this a useful outline or summary of your unit, your daily lesson plans will be separate)

1. Graphic Organizer Activity: What are the causes of conflict and what affect does conflict have local, regional, national, and global communities? 2. Think, Pair, Share Activity and Discussion: Processing graphic organizer details/conclusions with a classmate, small group, and as a whole class. 3. Authentic Voices Activity: Through readings and video clips, students will learn about the impact of conflict from diverse perspectives around the world. 4. Writing and Thinking about Conflict from Authentic Voices: Students will compose a poem based on their analysis of readings, videos, and class

discussion. 5. Primary Source Documents: Students will examine primary source documents (The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Conventions on the

Rights of the Child) after completing an activity that asks them to brainstorm basic human rights. In these activities, students will consider “rights” that should be applicable to all citizens in the world and analyze their ideas as they relate to the primary source documents (see description above).

6. The Rights of Children – Education: Students will examine how a child’s right to an education can be disrupted by conflict. Students will begin reading I am Malala (book) and watch a video interview of her experience. Students will brainstorm and examine textual evidence to determine the consequences (on individuals and society) when education is disrupted or denied.

7. Case Studies: Students will investigate and explore specific case studies to analyze the impact of conflict on the rights of children. Students will work in pairs and choose a case study from a list provided by the teacher. See description above.

8. Case Study Presentations: Students will present their research in the form of a PowerPoint or Prezi to the class. Students will be able to apply what they have learned from previous activities to this more in-depth study of a particular context. Students will demonstrate their communication and critical thinking skills.

9. Connecting the Global to the Local: Students will read articles about child immigrants coming to the United States under perilous circumstances, sharing their conclusions in class discussion, and composing a letter to their Congressman about this situation.

10. Seattle Context: Students will reach out to local organizations in the Seattle area to find out more about child immigration in our area. They will develop a questionnaire, conduct a phone or in-person interview, and assess the challenges facing children who have recently immigrated to our area.

11. Guest Speaker (Potential): Jorge Baron, Executive Director Northwest Immigrants Human Rights Project – possibility of hosting Mr. Baron for a

discussion and conversation about child immigrant rights in our area. 12. Enrique’s Journey – Analyzing Text: Students will analyze a piece of literature to understand, analyze, and discuss the personal challenges of a boy

traveling to the United States. Students will compare and contrast Enrique’s challenges to those discussed in previous lessons and think about what “rights” he has upon entering the United States (education? Health care?)

13. Skype Session: Students will prepare questions and have a discussion with a UNICEF employee working with refugee children from Syria in Turkey. 14. Emergency Situation Context Assignment: Students will investigate another context to examine how children’s basic human rights are affected by

conflict or emergency situations. Students will pay particular attention to the loss of schooling and analyze the consequences of losing educational opportunities or having their learning disrupted. Then, students will develop a website and blog of their findings.

15. Advocacy Project: Students will work in pairs to compete a culminating project on the effect of conflict/emergency situations on human rights/the rights of a child – see description under summative assessments.

16. Action Plan: Students will develop an action plan (in small groups) to identify ways and specific steps to engage our local, national, and global community in protecting human rights/child’s rights during conflict or emergency situations. Students will consider what they hope to accomplish (goals), what local, national, or international organizations can be contacted, and how we can individually and collectively take action.

17. Informal Assessments through Classroom Discussions. *adapted from Understanding by Design Model

Lesson Title: Authentic Voices in the Face of Conflict Subject: Social Studies (Adaptable) Prepared by: Ryan Hauck Materials Needed: Articles, Notebooks, Large Graphic Organizer Global Competency: Investigate the World, Recognize Perspectives, Communicate Ideas

Where is the lesson going? (Learning Target or SWBAT)

Students will be able to understand and analyze the impact of conflict or emergency situations (physical, psychological, emotional, etc.) on children, recognize diverse perspectives, and develop empathy through readings, participating in class discussion, and composing a poem.

Hook:

Tailored Differentiation:

1). As a large group, the teacher will provide students with a list of statistics that highlight the number of children who have had their lives disrupted by conflict in various parts of the world. 2). Teacher will read two different quotes by children who have been affect by conflict or emergency situations in Syria – discuss as a class.

1). Teacher will model the explication of one article by reading it aloud, taking out key ideas, raising questions, etc. 2). Students will read and process their articles in pairs or small groups. 3). In addition to one article, students will watch a video clip interview of a child who shares the impact of conflict or an emergency situation on their life. Equip:

Students will read different articles representing “authentic voices” and diverse perspectives characterizing the impact of conflict or emergency situations on children. Students will utilize reading strategies to identify key ideas, cause and effect relationships, raise questions, and draw conclusions. After working individually, students will work in small groups to process their conclusions and share their ideas in large group discussion.

Rethink and revise:

Students will examine our class conclusions (large graphic organizer) and begin drafting their “authentic voice” poem. Teacher will monitor student progress and support students who need help in getting started.

Evaluate:

Students will compose a poem reflecting an authentic and diverse voice (reflecting the impact of conflict on daily life = physical, psychological, emotional, etc.) based on class readings and discussions. Students will share their poems with the class.

Notes: Students could also be given an opportunity to draw a picture that symbolizes the main ideas of their poem.

Organization:

Prepare and choose articles so that several different contexts are represented in the readings. Distribute them accordingly.